Yup, it’s here. That magical time when we struggle with whether to buy something online or in the store. For me, online wins about 98% of the time.

So, in no particular order, here is a list of my toy picks from the Amazon Top 100. Enjoy.

This is pretty much everywhere this holiday season. I don’t know how it compares to apps on your smartphone, but at least it is something that is theirs and theirs alone, which has something to be said for it.

My current neighborhood is a very popular one for trick-or-treaters in the area. We are in our own little enclosed (not gated!) development where you can’t really get lost or wander off as we are surrounded by parkland on two sides and a really big slope on the others. So lots of people bring their families here because it feels safe and the neighborhood really gets into the whole Halloween thing.

So even though last night was technically a school night, I started panicking as we had already gone through our second Costco bag o’ chocolate. It was still fairly early and we had already had around a hundred kids or so.

In a state of panic, I searched for the stash of candy we had from last year that has yet to be eaten (and probably never will be) that I knew was in a plastic bucket in the kitchen. I came into the living room with the bucket, and my husband immediately recognized it as the “reject” candy from last year.

“What are you doing?” he cried in astonishment as I set the bucket on top of the little table we had set by the door.

“I’m getting extra candy in case we run out!” I snapped in reply.

“That candy is a YEAR OLD, Glinda! You can’t possibly be thinking of giving it to somebody, can you?” he responded, with a look of utter disbelief.

“My God man, it’s processed sugar! It is perfectly good candy!” I said, with my former bluster evaporating.

“You are NOT giving that out. If we run out of candy, we will simply TURN OUT THE LIGHTS, not give people old candy.”

I’ve been waffling on what kind of Halloween costume my daughter should wear this Halloween.

It’s probably the last Halloween where I can freely pick a costume for her without her input, although I have to say that outside of liking twirly skirts, she isn’t all that demanding in the clothing department. I have a penchant for wanting her to be literary characters, so I was sort of leaning that direction. But nothing really felt right.

People often comment on how angelic my daughter looks. She has very big, bright blue eyes, with incredibly long lashes.

Looks can be deceiving.

Since in the past two days she has broken one of our screen doors and locked herself in the bathroom, as well as her various temper tantrums and general all-around demanding-ness, the perfect costume came to me.

In my current neighborhood, Halloween is a big deal, and over half of the nieghborhood really goes for broke at Halloween, maybe even moreso than at Christmas. Across the street, my son’s friend sets up an elaborate walk-thru haunted house on their front lawn every year.

It’s not like I’m going to win any competitions or anything, but I love putting up lots of Halloween decorations. However, I rarely seem to have the time or money to do as much as I’d like.

52% of you have no issues with infant male circumcision, and the recent just-short-of-a-recommendation from the AAP didn’t change that. 4% admit the new findings may have changed their mind, while 14% haven’t budged in their stance against. 23% say they don’t have a horse in the race, and sometimes I wonder why I put that voting category in there. To me, it’s just an easy way to say that you don’t know.

Well, she’d better be prepared to slut it up as Hermione Granger, because tight, short, and shiny is most of what is out there on the store-bought costume front. I’m sure you can find some that aren’t, but all of those listed as “most popular” are the ones that show the most skin.

This is called Robyn Da Hood Tween Costume, and I just can’t with the name. Perhaps it has its origins in some movie that my seriously unhip 41 year old self does not know about, but I still can’t no matter where it is from.

Hermione certainly is looking grown up. May I interest you in a shirt, Hermione? Shirts are your friend.

She certainly looks ready for a party, although I’m not sure it will include tea.

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Manolo the Shoeblogger is not Mr. Manolo Blahnik. This website is not affiliated in any way with Mr. Manolo Blahnik, any products bearing the federally registered trademarks MANOLO®, BLAHNIK® or MANOLO BLAHNIK®, or any licensee of said federally registered trademarks. The views expressed on this website are solely those of the author.